Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1887-01-21

turned into stone, and says no word
| either of censure or regret.
Dora, weeping violently. goes to the
door, but, as her hand is raised to open
it. the pressure upon the gentle heart
of Florence is suddenly removed. and
/ in little gasping voice she bids her
stay.
Dora remains quite still. her eyes
| bent upon the floor. waiting to hear
| her Cousins words of just cOndemna-
ton; expecting only to hear the scath-
| ing words of Scorn with which her cou-
| sin will bid her BECOME from her sight
| for evermore. But suddenly she feels
| two soft arms close around her. and
Florence, bursting into tears, lays her
! head upon her shoulder.
ooh, Dora. how could you do it," she
| falters, and that is all. Never. either
| then or afterward, does another sem
tence of reproach pass her lips; and
Dora, forgiven and taken back to her
Cousins friendship, endeavors earnest
| ly for the future to avoid such untruth-
| full paths as had SO nearly led her to
| her ruin.
Sir Adrian, from the hour in which
| his dearest hopes were realized, recov-
ers rapidly both his health and spirits;
| and soon double wedding takes place,
that makes pretty Ethel VillierS Ethel
Ringwood and beautiful Florence Lady
| Dynecourt.
A winter spent abroad with his
charming bride completely restores Sir
| Adrian to his former vigorous state,
and, when spring is browning all the
land with her fair flowers, he returns
to the castle with the intention of re-
manning there until the coming season
demands his presence IN town.
And now once again there is almost
the same party brought together at
Dynecourt. Old Lady FitZAlmont and
Lady Gertrude are here again, and so
are Captain and Mrs, Ringwood, both
the gayest of the gay. Dora Talbot is
| here too, somewhat chastened and sub
! dued both in manner and expression, a
change so much for the better that she
finds her list of lovers to be longer now
than in the days of yore.
1t is an exquisite, baimy day in April.
The sun is shining hOtly without,
drinking up greedily the gentle shower
that fell half an hour ago. The guests,
who with their host and hostess have
been wandering idly through the
grounds, decide to go indoors.
1T was on day like this, though in
| autumn. that we first missed Sir Adj
rian," remarks some one in half tone
so low that the baronet could not hear
it.
yes" he says quickly, land it was
| just over there"-pointing to clump
| of shrubs near the hall door-"that l
parted with that unfortunate cousin of
mine"
Lady Dynecourt shudders, and draws
closer to her husband.
1T was marvellous story" OBSERVES
d pretty woman who was not at the
castle last autumn, when what so near
| ly proved to be tragedy was being en-
acted quite like a legend or a medic
val romance. Dear Lady Dynecourt
finding HIM was such happy finish to
! it. | must say | have always had the
| greatest YeneratiOn for those haunted
chambers, SO seldom to be found now
in any house. Perhaps my regard for
them is the stronger because l never
saw one"
"No?" questioningly. "Will you come
and see ours now?" says Sir Adrian
readily.
His wife clasps his arm, and pang
contracts her brow.
you are not frightened now, sure
ly?" says Adrian, smiling at her very
tenderly.
yes, [ am" she responds promptly.
"The very name Of that awful room. UNI
nerves me. There is something evil in
| it, | believe. DO not go there"
I'll block it up forever if you wish
! it." declares Sir Adrian; but, for the
last time let me go and show its ghost
! ly beauty to Lady Iaughton. | confess,
even after all that has happened, it
| possesses no terror for me; it only re-
minds me of my unpleasant kinsman."
Il wonder what became Of him. re-
marks Ringwood. He's at the other
side of the world, | should imagine"
Out of the world, at all events" says
Ethel, indifferently
well, let us CO." agrees Florence re-
signedly.
So together they all start once more
for the old tower. AS they reach the
stone steps Sir Adrian says laughingly
| to Lady Laughton:
"Now, what do you expect to see? A
ghost-a phantom? And in what shape,
what guise?"
"A skeleton" answers Lady Laugh
ton, returning his laugh; and with
| the words the door is pushed open, and
| they enter the room en- 1lldSSe.
| The sunlight is stealing in through
! the narrow window holes and family
lighting up the dismal room.
What is that i'll yOnder corner, the
very corner where Sir Adrian's almost
! lifeless body had been found? Is this
trick, deluSion of the brain? What
is this thing huddled together, lying in
= heap--a CHASTITY, ragged, filthy heap,
| before their terrified eyes? And why
! does this charnel-house smell infect
their nOstrils? They stagger. Even
the strong men grow pale and faint,
| for there, before them, gaunt, awful,
! unmiStakable, lies Skeletonl
Lady Laughton's testing words have
come true-a tleShleSS corpse indeed
meets their stricken gaze!
Sir Adrian, having hurriedly asked
one of the men of the party to remove
Lady Dynecourt and her friends, he
and Captain Ringwood proceed to ex-
anime the grewsome body that lies up
to each other total ignorance of what
it can be, there is in their hearts a
miserable certainty that appallS them.
Is this to be the end of the mystery?
| Truly had spoken Ethel Ringwood
when she had alluded to Arthur Dyne-
court as being "out of the world" for
it is his remains they are bending over,
as a few letters scattered about testify
only too plainly.
Caught in the living grave he had
| destined for his cousin was Arthur
| bS Oll tlt lllS1J Oh >
release. The lamp had dropped from
his hand i'll the first horror of his dis
covery that his victim had escaped him.
| Then followed the closing of the fatal
| lock and his insensibility.
| On recovering from his Swoon, he
had no doubt endured hundred-fold
more fortunes than had the innocent
| Sir Adrian, as. his conscience must
have been increasingly racking and
! tearing him.
And not too soon either could the
miserable end have come. Every pang
! he had designed for his victim was his.
| Not one was spared! Cold and hunger
and the raging fever of thirst were his,
and withal a Eopelessr-ss more intol-
cradle than aught elsa hopelessness
that must have grown in strength as
the interminable days went by.
And then came death-an awful lin
| gering death, whilst the loathsome
rats had finished the work which star
walton and death had begun, and now
| all that remained of Arthur Dynecourt
| was heap of boneSl
They hush the matter up as we'll as
! they can, but it is many days before
! Florence and her husband, or any of
| their guests forget the dreadful hour
| in which they discovered the unsightly
remains of him who had been overtak-
! EN- by a just and stern retributiop.
THE END